Descent into madness
by Wastelander3019
Summary: This is my take on the (if you haven't guessed it already) TES IV expansion: The shivering isles. This is my first Fan fiction so take that into consideration when you rate and comment.
1. Chapter 1- A new day

_"I was born 87 years ago, for 65 years I ruled as Tamriel's emperor. But for all these years, I've never been the ruler of my own dreams. I have seen the gates of oblivion, beyond which no waking I may see. Behold in darkness, a doom sweeps the land. This is the 27__th__ of last seed, the year of Akatosh, 433. These are the closing days of the third era, and the final hours of my life." _

I woke up and I pushed my self off of the cold, tiles of the Imperial prison jail cell. My head was pounding, and I was disoriented. When I finally regained my composure I slowly stood up. I still felt weak and sick, I was completely miserable. I felt my arms, the scales had become jagged to a point and they were peeling off a slimy, thin film. They weren't the bright florescent green that they used to be. I looked up at the only source of fresh air in this dank, dreary place. I longed to be back in the warm, fresh water that filled the lakes of black marsh. I sighed deeply. "If only I didn't have to kill that…" my thoughts were interrupted by the sly, charismatic voice of Valen Dreth, the only companion that I had in this dreaded hell-hole.

"Hey, lizard! It must break your heart, huh? Being so close to the water, knowing that you'll never swim again… You know, sometimes, when they let us out into the yard. You can hear the sounds from the lake. The boats, the gulls, so close… No, you'll never swim again, argonian." He spat, the final words seething in obvious hatred for the lizard race. "But don't worry, you'll be dead soon enough. That's right. You're going to **_die_** in here!" I prepared myself to be battered by his surprisingly hurtful words. "Hey, you hear that? The guards are coming, for you." He stopped only to laugh maniacally. His face was pressed on the iron bars on his cage, impatient, waiting for me to be executed in the most horrible way possible.

I turned my head to the stairs up to the prison office. I heard the sound of metal armor, scraping upon itself. A distant light faintly illuminated the stairwell. One of the guards, who was a woman, ordered a man, named Baurus to lock the door behind him. The light got brighter and I could make out four people. I saw one woman in the front, and two men in the back all three of them wearing a special form of steel armor. In the middle of them was man in the finest clothing I have ever seen. His hair was pure snow white, and his face was wrinkled slightly.

The emperor, of Tamriel was coming down the stairs I stood in awe, but I was frightened at the same time. I was frozen, I heard talking of assassination. But I was still puzzled to the fact that I was in the presence of the emperor himself.

I was suddenly snapped back into reality as a sharp voice pierced my ears. "What's this prisoner doing here? This cell is off-limits." The female leader shouted

One of the men stuttered "Usual mix up at the watch… I it uh…"

"Never mind. Get that gate open." She snapped with annoyance. She then stared directly at me, her eyes cutting into my very soul. "Stand back prisoner, we won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way." I whipped around and leaped into the back corner of my prison. I cowered as I sunk down onto the floor pressed up against the wall. The woman pulled out her key and twisted the lock with a quiet but solid click. The rusty door screeched as it opened, a sound so vile that I wanted to dig my claws into my ears. Even the guards cringed a bit as they opened the wrought iron door. All four of them walked into the room.

They walked up to the part of the wall that had an archway. The woman went over to one of the stones that lined the east side of the room and pushed it in. the wall behind the arch receded into the ground.

The female guard spoke "Better not close this one. There's no way to open it from the other side.

The guard that brought up the rear looked at me and said jokingly then turned serious for the last part of the sentence "Looks like this is your lucky day, just stay out of our way."

The emperor was about to follow the group when he met my gaze. It was soft and kind, but serious due to the urgency of the situation. Then the woman spoke up "Please sire we must keep moving." The emperor acknowledged this but still held his stare.

He finally spoke "You, I've seen you…" he walked closer "let me see your face… You are the one from my dreams…then the stars were right, and this is the day… Gods give me strength."

"What's going on?" I asked completely unaware of what was happening right this moment.

"Assassins attacked my sons, and I am next." He said with a completely casual and unshaken voice for someone who just lost someone they loved. He continued, "My blades are leading me out of the city through a secret escape route. By chance the escape route leads through your cell. I remained silent, waiting for him to finish. He had nothing else to say, as he left and he walked with his escort of guards.

I ran past the 4 of them, determined to protect the leader of Tamriel.


	2. Chapter 2- and so it begins

I came into a wide open room that was split in two because of a small wall separating two stairways. The room was silent, absolutely silent. A mere footstep would be deafening. I looked around, vigilant for danger. I saw a little alcove in the corner of the room, and I decided to climb on it. There was a door on the left side, I grabbed the knob and it turned it. I flung it open, fireball in my fist waiting to be released. In front of me stood a tall dark elf woman in crimson robes. "Dawn is breaking" was all she whispered before grabbing me by the throat and dragging me into a dark hallway.

* * *

"Where is that prisoner?" Baurus asked himself aloud "She went ahead of us, and all the doors are locked, where could she have gone?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter now. We must focus on protecting the emperor." She said quickly "Form a guard around the emperor."

The emperor objected "I must die on this day that I already know. Just defend yourselves."

"No. I would be failing you if I didn't protect you till my dying breath." The leader commanded.

"Fine, do as you must. But I will die today I assure you." The emperor sighed, waiting for his ultimate doom. They stopped talking when they heard light footsteps. They gripped their katanas so tightly their fists became white as snow that fell from the skies of Bruma. Baurus licked his lips behind his helmet, waiting for an ambush.

An arrow pierced the emperor's chest. He fell to the ground, dead. "You're weak, like the gods you praise!" A robed man screamed from the alcove. The remaining guards went head on into the pack of fifteen unmarked assassins. In combat the Blades were very swift and they all worked as a team. Working as one fluent machine. Then out of the dark a lightning bolt shot from a dark corner of the room, killing the commander of the small troop of soldiers. Glenroy, the second male Blade rolled back as one of the assassins hit him with a bound mace to the side. But his back rolled into the sharp tip of a dagger. He slid off the dagger and hit the ground with a thud that echoed through the sewers. Baurus, the only one remaining slid over to the emperor and quickly unfastened the amulet of kings before running to the metal gate on the other side of the room, pushing past the remaining assassins and locking the door behind him.

* * *

I woke up in a soggy, rotten chair behind a small desk with a single candle that emitted a soft warm glow, and providing a small amount of warmth in the deathly cold room. I tried to move my wrists but they were bound tightly with rope behind my back. A dull pain covered my entire body, but turned sharp when I moved even the slightest inch.

I suddenly noticed the horrible smell that the thick, heavy air carried. Was I in the sewers? Why is there a table and chair in the middle of the sewers? My thoughts were interrupted by a soft glow coming from my left that got brighter slowly. In a couple of moments a rather tall altmer man in crimson robes approached the iron grate door that produced the small light source. I looked at the robes again; they were the same ones that the mysterious assassins wore. He stood before me; I tried my best to not show the slightest sign of fear.

After a couple of moments of a strange silence that felt like ages to me, he spoke. It was soft, but it did not calm me down at all it made my fear grow. "Who are you?"

"I-I am S-Sim-na" I sputtered.

"Why were you with the emperor?" He inquired, his tone raising slightly. I hesitated. "Well, spit it out!" he shouted

"I am just a prisoner that escaped with the emperor! What do you want from me?" I shouted, tears welling up in my eyes.

His voice went back to his original tone but he was obviously annoyed. "That doesn't answer my question. Ill ask this once again and one more time only. Why were you with the emperor?"

He was going through an escape route. It ran through my prison cell. That's all I know I promise! Please don't hurt me!" I said in short choppy breaths.

"Well thank you for your, um cooperation." His voice sounded eviler than before and I was truly in horror

"Now you'll let me go… right?" I said with excitedly, wanting to get out of here as soon as I could. The altmer slowly strode around me until he was right behind me, literally breathing down my neck

"I'm afraid that's not possible. I think you staying here would be better don't you think?" Before I could respond to that rhetorical question he raised an inky gloved hand and knocked me on the center of my skull, knocking me unconscious.

* * *

I woke up on a bed of something soft, but it was sticky. I slowly sat up, and I opened my eyes and I realized I was in a flowing white gown. I grabbed a portion of my bed and tore it off, shoving the piece of bed into my mouth. I did that only because it felt right. Why did that feel like it was a natural and normal thing to do? Then I realized I was lying on a giant sweet roll.

I was definitely in a dream, so I looked around and I was in a dark gloomy hall made of slimy grey stone that seemed to go on forever. This was a stark contrast to the odd bed that I was laying on. Out of no where a voice of someone who was obviously insane boomed through the seemingly endless hall. "What do you think you're doing, did I say you could sleep on my bed? Wait! Hold the phone! I actually don't care. I'm a daedric prince, I don't need sleep. But get off anyways!"

"Why should I?" I shouted, oddly defiant, knowing that he could and would make me eat myself by snapping his fingers. And just for entertainment.

"Because I could tear you apart and feed you're dismembered limbs to grmmites. But mostly because I. Asked. Nicely." In a moment a blinding light filled the room. After a couple seconds it dimmed down and a strange man wearing odd multicolored raiment. He looked as if he was in his late twenties or early thirties but his hair was white as snow. "I'm not going to ask again, get off now!" he said his voice filled with irritation.

I rolled off the bed and hit the ground and landed on my face. I slowly stood up and faced what could only be Sheogorath the daedric prince of madness." What do you want from me?" I asked in a much less bold but confident voice.

"I need a champion! Someone to rend the flesh from my foes." He paused for a moment and then restated it but with a different word choice. "A mortal champion, to wade through the entrails of my enemies!"

I thought to myself, why pick me? I'm not special in any way. Sheogorath read my mind. "The reason I chose you was hm. Well I forgot, oh wait I know! I picked you because, I wanted to pick you." He paused and then turned around waving his hand. "Ta-ta you better come back or I'll pluck out your eyes! "He then laughed a deep laugh that was full of insane joy.

A bright light flashed through the room again, and he was gone. I just stood there confused as to what just happened. The giant sweet roll beside me dissolved into sugary dust. And the room around me became alive and all around me butterflies flew away from me. They revealed a deep indigo sky, and then I realized I was far up, level with the clouds. I started to scramble and scoop balls of air as if I could swim up to keep my self from falling. I continued to fall for about thirty seconds before I looked down and saw I was feet away from crashing into a stone slab that killed me on impact.


End file.
